5 hazards you may encounter during your next shopping trip

On behalf of Law Offices of Michael R. Kaiser on Thursday, June 20, 2019.

If you love to shop, Palm Springs is the perfect place for you. After all, without traveling far, you can browse through both boutiques and big box stores. You can also take advantage of a seemingly endless number of dining and entertainment options. Still, you do not want your shopping outing to turn into a nightmare.

In California, business owners have a general duty to keep you safe. Unfortunately, though, some shopping malls are safer than others. Before you embark on your next shopping trip, think about common places you may injure yourself in a slip or fall accident. Here are five of them:

1. Electrical cords

Shopping malls offer a variety of entertainment options. Sometimes, though, workers in the building must run extension cords to deliver power to a certain area. If employees fail to secure cords, you may trip and fall.

2. Liquid spills

Most shopping centers in the Palm Springs area are full of employees, customers and others. If someone at the mall spills a cup of coffee, you may find yourself sprawled on the floor in pain. As such, business owners must alert you to liquid spills. They must also clean up spilled liquids as quickly as possible.

3. Escalators

Even when shopkeepers properly maintain them, escalators can be dangerous. That is, every time you climb onto an escalator, you interact with moving machinery. An untied shoelace or loose clothing may put you at increased risk of a serious injury.

4. Damaged flooring

The designers of commercial flooring intend for carpeting, tile and other surfaces to withstand considerable punishment. Nonetheless, flooring is not invincible. When walking through a shopping center, a missing tile, overturned rug or snagged carpeting may cause you to fall.

5. Dark areas

Anyone who has ever tried on clothing in a fitting room knows how bright and unflattering commercial light can be. Still, not all areas in a shopping center have adequate lighting. If you are not careful, you may trip on something you simply cannot see.

As a customer, you likely cannot remedy hazardous areas in shopping centers. You can, however, educate yourself about common risks customers face. You may also be able to hold negligent business owners responsible for your injuries. Either way, by understanding where slips and falls tend to occur, you can likely better protect yourself from sustaining a serious injury at the mall.

The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.